


Awakened Fire

by pretzel_logic



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Jaster died but it’s ok cause it didn’t stick, so don’t mind the major character death tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:28:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26958838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pretzel_logic/pseuds/pretzel_logic
Summary: “Listen, Myles, this is going to sound crazy but, you won’t find Jaster’s remains,” Jango said slowly, cautiously. “He sort of... self-incinerated.”“And turned into a bird,” Silas added.-The Galaxy is a lot stranger than anyone remembers. Mandalorians have long memories when it comes to grudges but they might have forgotten something important.
Relationships: Jango Fett & Jaster Mereel, Jango Fett & Myles the Mandalorian, Jango Fett & Silas
Comments: 28
Kudos: 111





	Awakened Fire

Jango and Silas we’re hiding something. Normally Myles wouldn’t mind and let the two keep their secrets but it was their word against Montross on what happened to Jaster. Now wasn’t the time for secrets and there was something strange about how the two brought back Jaster’s buy’ce. Cradling it upside down with Jaster’s cape tucked in and around it.

“What have you got there, vode?” Myles asked carefully to keep his tone unbiased. Jango did just lose his buir and he didn’t want his friend to think he was making any accusations.

Jango went completely still and Silas started wringing his hands. Stress tells for the two of them for when a situation went to osik. The rest of the Haat Mando’ade knew it too.

“It’s not important, it can wait,” Jango denied.

Montross growled as he stomped forward until he was practically in Jango’s face. “You accuse me of abandoning Jaster to die-“

“You did!”

“And now you’re trying to keep secrets. I don’t think so you brat,” Montross finished undeterred and yanked at Jaster’s cape until the contents of the buy’ce were revealed.

Myles wasn’t sure what he was expecting but some small avian creature wasn’t it. A very young avian creature, it looked freshly hatched. Korda 6 was currently in the middle of its winter season, what the kriff? Maybe it was some kind of native ground fowl? It must have been in a nest near where Jaster was shot down. Well, if Jango wanted a comfort pet Myles wasn’t going to give him grief over it. There were worse way to cope with a loss.

“Shabiur,” Jango practically snarled as he backed away from Montross, tucking the cape back around the plaintively chirping creature. With one last sharp look in Montross’s direction, Jango carefully handed off his pet to Silas before facing Montross once more.

“I won’t follow you, Montross. You’re a coward that will get us killed for your own ego,” Jango said firmly.

“I’ll follow Jango and no one else,” Silas added just as firm.

Myles considered the standoff before he moved to stand beside Jango. Mand’alor was no title to be given lightly but Jango was Jaster’s heir by adoption and training. Jango was inexperienced enough to seek counsel of his elders when he was uncertain of the way forward. Montross only kept his own counsel and it was infamously flawed.

After Myles moved the rest of the Haat Mando’ade followed. No one sided with Montross but a few chose to abdicate. Exiling Montross wasn’t the choice Myles would have made but Jango was Mand’alor now and exile wasn’t a bad first order when Myles suspected executing Montross would be costly. He was Jaster’s second in command for a reason.

After that it was a matter of packing up and heading out. They’d make their contractor pay for betraying them, for costing them Jaster, and then it was back to Mandalore space to rest, regroup, and mourn. They could worry about the next job after that.

“Jango,” Myles called cause he doubted the younger man was ready to be called Alor. “Should we send out a retrieval team for Jaster’s remains?”

Rather than answer, Jango and Silas shared a look.

“We should get his armor, Jango,” Silas said carefully.

Jango made a strange noise. “Why? It’s not like he can use it.”

“It’s beskar, Jango. Even if he can’t use it anymore someone will,” Silas said and Myles felt more than a little uncertain as to what the kriff was going on.

“Jango, Silas. What the kriff is going on with you two? Why the Corellian hells do you only care about Jaster’s armor? Can we retrieve Jaster’s remains for funeral rites or not?” Myles demanded.

Jango and Silas shared another look. Myles was getting tired of their kriffing looks.

“Listen, Myles, this is going to sound crazy but, you won’t find Jaster’s remains,” Jango said slowly, cautiously. “He sort of... self-incinerated.”

“And turned into a bird,” Silas added, lifting up Jaster’s buy’ce with the hatchling in it. Muffled by the fabric of Jaster’s cape was another chirp.

“What?” Myles asked. He could maybe understand the self-incineration. Mandalorians were an adoptive culture which led to a lot of inter-species coupling as long as the two were compatible. It led to some strange biological hiccups and Myles could understand a corpse self-incinerating being one of them. Why the kriff not? Given Jaster’s ugly mug Myles wouldn’t be surprised if he had a Twi’lek or two in the family tree and Manda only knew what else.

But turned into a bird?

“You two sure it wasn’t just some hibernating ground fowl Jaster died on top of?” Myles asked skeptically. It made way more sense than the tale Jango and Silas were spinning.

Jango shook his head.

“We both saw it,” Silas said with uncharacteristic stubbornness. Myles wouldn’t say Silas was usually meek but he wasn’t one to pick fights or insist on a lie.

Myles sighed and wished he took his helmet off so he could rub his face. Today was all kinds of karked.

“Alright, here’s what we’re going to do. We’ll tell everyone else Jaster’s corpse incinerated itself. It’s kriffing weird but at least that sounds like unknown ancestry at work. We are not telling them you think your pet bird is Jaster,” Myles said firmly. Myles did not need to see Jango’s face to see his Manda’lor was feeling stubborn. “Not yet, Jango. We’ll ask the archivist if there’s any records of other Mandalorians doing what Jaster did. There’s got to be an explanation for this osik.”

“And if there isn’t?” Jango demanded, antsy. “I don’t even know what to feed him!”

“Puréed meat I’d guess. As for what we do next, I don’t know Jango. You’re Mand’alor. You tell me,” Myles said, crossing his arms.

Jango went quiet at that. Silas and Myles waited him out.

“We’ll go to the jetiise. They’re always boasting about their archives. They’ll have to know something.”

“You want to seek help from our historical enemies?” Silas asked with all the obvious dubiousness Myles was feeling.

“In identifying a strange bird? Sure. Besides, right now our only enemies are Death Watch,” Jango said, posture straightening and tone firm. Mand’alor gave a command. “We can worry about picking fights with jetiise once we’re done killing them.”

“Lek, Alor,” Myles and Silas said in unison.

Things were a right confusing mess but Myles was starting to have faith Jango could lead them into something better.

At least things were unlikely to get any kriffing stranger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yesterday my brain went ‘what if Mandalorians were phoenixes and forgot?’ This is the fastest turn around I’ve had from an idea to posting in a while.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm [feelinkeeli](https://feelinkeeli.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr. Feel free to stop by and say hello. I love to chat about my fics and fandom in general.


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